


the immortal tent

by tisapear



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Found Family, Gen, Missing Scene, Set right after they first escape Midgar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26074597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tisapear/pseuds/tisapear
Summary: You were right, Zack.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife & Red XIII | Nanaki & Barret Wallace, Zack Fair & Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	the immortal tent

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the poem 'The Sky Is An Immortal Tent Built By The Sons Of Los' by William Blake

"What do you think about the sky?" 

Maybe it's a silly question. Maybe not at all, not here, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to warm them but the fire made of hastily thrown together scrap wood, and the clothes on their backs. 

"The sky?" Tifa echos. 

"Wide open space," Barret concedes, gruff as always. 

"Pretty. Clouds during the day, stars and the moon during the night," Tifa adds, looking almost wistful as she directs her eyes upwards, head tilted back. 

"Feels like you can touch it, if you're up high enough," Nanaki continues, curled up right in front of the fire, tip of his tail flicking through the growing flames.

They all look at each other, mulling over the words, then collectively turn to stare at Cloud, shadows flickering over his face, fire crackling. 

He doesn't react to their stares until Tifa elbows him and he grunts, whether from pain or annoyance might be anyone's guess. "It's there," he says, and Aerith pouts.

"That's no answer!" she exclaims. "Tifa, kick him for me." And she does, proven by Cloud's quiet hiss. 

"What am I even supposed to—!" he starts, then stops, huffs, arms crossed in front of his chest. Mumbles something. 

"Hah? What's that? Speak up, SOLDIER boy!" Barret growls, gunarm raised as if he's trying to threaten Cloud, as if that would work. 

"Reminds me of _home_ , okay." 

Silence. An especially loud crack, sparks sent flying. Right in front of Cloud's mako-bright eyes. 

So pretty... yet so scary. 

(Familiar.) 

"Home, huh..." Tifa has her arms curled around her knees, look in her eyes far away. Lost in the past. 

Barret seems uncomfortable, like he suddenly regrets prying. Nanaki simply keeps his look steady, not necessarily inquiring, but willing to keep listening. 

"It just..." Cloud's obviously struggling for words, socially inept as he is. Aerith sends him an encouraging smile, elbow placed on her thigh and chin comfortably cupped inside her palm. She won't force the matter, but she can't deny her own curiosity. 

"There wasn't much of anything," he glances at Tifa, but she's firmly staring at the dancing flames, "besides the sky. When I couldn't sleep, I used to climb up on the roof and just... count the stars, I guess." He pauses, seems to consider, then, "Sometimes I even fell asleep up there."

Aerith hums in acknowledgement, doesn't want to interrupt the ensuing silence. Feels special, like that little tidbit of admittance under the night sky has brought them so much closer. Barret's looking at Cloud like he's suddenly seeing him in a new light, and Nanaki appears to understand the sentiment. (Must have been terrible, locked up for so many years and unable to enjoy the sky he seems to be so taken with.) 

"Your poor mother!" Tifa suddenly interrupts, sits up straighter as she points accusingly at Cloud. "So _that's_ why she was always so frantic in the morning! 'My son,' she used to scream, 'have you seen Cloud!' My father always helped her search for you and he was so _angry_ whenever you showed up out of nowhere, no explanation whatsoever, their efforts in finding you for naught. Still, whenever your mother came running, he would set out again, without hesitation. I always thought you were playing a prank on them."

Oh, he's embarrassed. It's so obvious, head tellingly turned to the side, hair falling forward to obscure his face, but he can't hide the red climbing up his cheeks from Aerith's keen eyes. She chuckles, lightly, can't help herself when she's confronted with the image of Cloud pouting for whatever it's worth while Tifa gives him that teasing smile. The others follow suit, Barret's gruff bark of laughter, Nanaki's soft huff of amusement. 

"Whatever," Cloud mutters, ever the petulant brat. "What brought that up anyway? And what about _you?_ " 

"What about me? Hmm..."

_"Why do you like the sky so much anyway?"_

_"Huh? Why wouldn't I?"_

_"Why would you?"_

_"Hm, I wonder... guess it just reminds me of home."_

_"Home?"_

_"Yep! Don't laugh, but I'm from a real backwater village on the western continent. You always have a clear look of the sky over there. Wasn't much to do 'sides stare at it and count the stars."_

_"Count the stars, huh..."_

_You were right, Zack,_ she thinks 

"It's not scary at all."

Not when she's looking at it together with her friends.


End file.
